by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
Handling mass transportation in Jacksonville has been the Jacksonville Transportation Authority’s responsibility for the last 50 years. Thursday, JTA held its first transportation summit to discuss the progress since its inception.
“This is the finale to the 50 years celebration. It’s a wonderful time to get all the counties together to reinforce that transit system as a benefit to all counties involved,” said Winova Hart, JTA’s public relations coordinator.
The summit hosted speakers all day beginning at 8 a.m. Mayor John Peyton spoke around noon on the progress JTA has made and the the future of transportation in Jacksonville.
“This is truly the decade of the barricades,” said Peyton. “It may be inconvenient, but we’re paving the way for the future.”
Keynote speaker Denver Stutler Jr., secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, offered insight on public and private roles in transportation and mobility.
“Jacksonville’s leadership has been on the radar screen in Tallahassee for some years,” said Stutler.
He had a memo from 1955 that recounts the then-secretary’s sentiments on Jacksonville’s efficiency.
“Jacksonville is producing more plans than anyone in the state because of this great machine called Xerox,” according to the memo read by Stutler.
The secretary spoke of the progress made in Jacksonville. He also made a monetary commitment to help progress flourish, assuming he can get the proposals past his chairman.
In 1959, the State praised Jacksonville as being the leader in the state’s vast expressway system during a state interstate tour that started in Jacksonville and ended in Miami. State road chairman Joe Grotegut referred to Jacksonville as a state road leader by saying, “Florida’s largest cities would do well to study Jacksonville’s expressway system,” and “Jacksonville should also be praised for setting up an independent expressway authority and providing county gas tax funds in addition to bridge toll revenue and it stepped from six to nine years ahead of other metropolitan areas in meeting its problems.”
JTA was the first transportation agency in Florida to provide mass transit services and the design and construction of roads and bridges.